1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pallet repair tools and more particularly pertains to a new pallet board removal assembly for providing mechanical assistance to remove any board of a pallet for replacement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pallet slat removal tools is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,955 issued to Beane describes a device that uses a pivoting paddle coupled to a frame member inserted into a pallet. Another type of pallet slat removal tool is U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,808 issued to Harris having a pusher bar for moving a pallet along a bed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,516 issued to DeGeorge provides several power-operated arms for removing end slats on a pallet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,459 issued to the present inventor discloses another machine to remove the end board of a pallet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,869 issued to Doyle discloses an end slat remover that addresses the problem of nail stubble after the end slat is removed. Additional patents relating to disassembly of pallets, nail stubble removal, and pallet repair include U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,588 issued to Conkle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,315 issued to Griffith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,822 issued to Lopez et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,825 issued to Gleason, U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,098 issued to DeMarco, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,110 issued to Fagre, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,890 issued to Bielkiewicz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,197 issued to Wiltshire, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,242 issued to Harvis.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a machine that effectively and efficiently permits removal of any selectable pallet slat without having to remove undamaged slats, effectively and quickly gets nail stubble out of the way of a repair slat, and permits use by a single person to maximize efficiency of a workforce to repair many pallets.
The present invention meets the needs presented above by providing a mechanism for removing any one of the slats of a pallet, providing a safe and effective press for pushing nail stubble into the pallet stringers to permit attachment of a new slat, and by providing a work surface that is designed to permit safe and easy handling by a single worker to maximize worker production.
To this end, the present invention generally comprises a frame having rollers forming a bed. A pair of jaws are pivoted with staggered distal ends to clamp and subsequently remove a selected board from a pallet. The invention further includes a board cushioning assembly to control movement of the removed board and an optional nail press assembly to drive nail stubble into the stringers of the pallet.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.